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billymac1962's review against another edition
3.0
Boy, what a see-saw of opinions I had throughout this one.
The good points:
There were some flat out brilliant ideas in this story. S.A. Hunt throws in history, mythology and theology and comes up with a very cool world where real witches exist.
He made me laugh out loud with his sound effects. This was something you'd expect from perhaps a sixth grader but it worked here and it was a silly but fun way to read this.
There were moments where his descriptive prose approached literary greatness. A description of a Subway restaurant seeming to appear embarrassed at its location immediately comes to mind.
Some not-so-good points:
This novel really needed an editor. There was one character, Ashe, who was described as a veterinarian almost every time he was introduced (my Kindle counted 8 times).
As fun as the novel was, it was much too long. The action got pretty ridiculous and the pacing was very uneven for the last third of the story. As good as the story was, and the crazy-good ideas, I confess to skimming the final 100 pages. I really had had enough and was losing patience.
I think if this would have been trimmed down this could have been a five star read. This was a five star read for a good half of the book.
So, I'm glad I read it, and I have no regrets skimming to the end. I'm rating this right down the middle, at 3 stars.
The good points:
There were some flat out brilliant ideas in this story. S.A. Hunt throws in history, mythology and theology and comes up with a very cool world where real witches exist.
He made me laugh out loud with his sound effects. This was something you'd expect from perhaps a sixth grader but it worked here and it was a silly but fun way to read this.
There were moments where his descriptive prose approached literary greatness. A description of a Subway restaurant seeming to appear embarrassed at its location immediately comes to mind.
Some not-so-good points:
This novel really needed an editor. There was one character, Ashe, who was described as a veterinarian almost every time he was introduced (my Kindle counted 8 times).
As fun as the novel was, it was much too long. The action got pretty ridiculous and the pacing was very uneven for the last third of the story. As good as the story was, and the crazy-good ideas, I confess to skimming the final 100 pages. I really had had enough and was losing patience.
I think if this would have been trimmed down this could have been a five star read. This was a five star read for a good half of the book.
So, I'm glad I read it, and I have no regrets skimming to the end. I'm rating this right down the middle, at 3 stars.
ellsea's review against another edition
5.0
Could not put it down.
I have lost sleep over this book, and I'm so glad I did. I was easily pulled in and attached to the characters. Breakneck pacing, but it's authentic to the story, and keeps you embroiled in the middle of all the action. Wonderfully planned out, masterfully executed.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a smoke, a drink, and a nap.
I have lost sleep over this book, and I'm so glad I did. I was easily pulled in and attached to the characters. Breakneck pacing, but it's authentic to the story, and keeps you embroiled in the middle of all the action. Wonderfully planned out, masterfully executed.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a smoke, a drink, and a nap.
whatsmacksaid's review against another edition
3.0
This was sort of a weird book—it was good writing, but really slow after the first chapter, and it ended in the middle of a scene without resolving literally anything.
xfirefly9x's review against another edition
4.0
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Malus Domestica is dark, gory, intense, and taste-the-dust atmospheric. The atmosphere sinks under your skin and embeds itself there. To use a metaphor, the atmosphere sinks under your skin in much the same way as how the witches use their powers to "familiarise" people by inserting cats into them; unless you're protected by an algiz, you'll probably not escape it.
The story itself was... one thing after another... same as any other story. But each thing that came builded on what came before, until a town filled with vibrant characters came to life. The characters are all unique and vivid in their behaviours and needs, and the way their individual stories connect is so compelling that by the end, you won't want to let them go.
An excellent read.
Not recommended for animal lovers (especially cat lovers) or anyone who dislikes gore.
Malus Domestica is dark, gory, intense, and taste-the-dust atmospheric. The atmosphere sinks under your skin and embeds itself there. To use a metaphor, the atmosphere sinks under your skin in much the same way as how the witches use their powers to "familiarise" people by inserting cats into them; unless you're protected by an algiz, you'll probably not escape it.
The story itself was... one thing after another... same as any other story. But each thing that came builded on what came before, until a town filled with vibrant characters came to life. The characters are all unique and vivid in their behaviours and needs, and the way their individual stories connect is so compelling that by the end, you won't want to let them go.
An excellent read.
Not recommended for animal lovers (especially cat lovers) or anyone who dislikes gore.
theduchess93's review against another edition
4.0
Wasn't a fan of the Gay Friend, as he kind of felt like a caricature, but otherwise, very enjoyable and I'll be reading the next one!
metmaedl's review against another edition
3.0
Man merkt ein wenig, das "Zirkel der Nacht" der Auftakt ist. Die Handlung und auch der Spannungsbogen baut sich relativ langsam auf.
Zu Beginn liest man aus ziemlich vielen verschiedenen Perspektiven, gegen Ende merkt man erst, wie alles zusammen hängt. Der Twist hat mir gut gefallen und am Ende hätte ich gerne noch ein wenig weiter gelesen.
Insgesamt war ich gut unterhalten und freue mich jetzt auf Band 2!
Zu Beginn liest man aus ziemlich vielen verschiedenen Perspektiven, gegen Ende merkt man erst, wie alles zusammen hängt. Der Twist hat mir gut gefallen und am Ende hätte ich gerne noch ein wenig weiter gelesen.
Insgesamt war ich gut unterhalten und freue mich jetzt auf Band 2!
madi_mairee's review against another edition
3.0
This was described as Supernatural meets Stranger Things, so of course I had to pick it up! I’d love to see this come to life on the screen. It definitely reminded me of those shows.
This was an interesting book that is really hard to sum up and describe. A lot is happening within these pages. There are a lot of characters being introduced and at first it was a bit confusing. But, once their story lines come together it meshes very well. My only real complaint is that there is so much back story and set up in this book, that not a lot really happens overall. I think the next book in the series will be much more plot driven and get into the main adventure.
The action scenes are fantastic, though. It's very high energy and atmospheric. Robin reminds me a bit of Lisbeth Salander, who happens to be one of my all time favorite characters! I really enjoyed Robin's character and I'm excited to see what happens next. Overall, I think this was an entertaining read and definitely worth picking up.
This was an interesting book that is really hard to sum up and describe. A lot is happening within these pages. There are a lot of characters being introduced and at first it was a bit confusing. But, once their story lines come together it meshes very well. My only real complaint is that there is so much back story and set up in this book, that not a lot really happens overall. I think the next book in the series will be much more plot driven and get into the main adventure.
The action scenes are fantastic, though. It's very high energy and atmospheric. Robin reminds me a bit of Lisbeth Salander, who happens to be one of my all time favorite characters! I really enjoyed Robin's character and I'm excited to see what happens next. Overall, I think this was an entertaining read and definitely worth picking up.
mferrante83's review against another edition
3.0
Man, I really wanted to love this book. The premise is pretty dame aces: a witch-hunting youtube star (she pretends her videos are elaborate fakes, they aren't) returns home to the town she left after her mother was murdered by witches. The characters are all set up with some tragic backstories (there are no less than the three characters with three, different, dead mothers); it makes for some interesting parallels between the characters but the handful of long info dumps that explore backstories and explain the world don't really work for me. There is a distinct divide between Wayne and Robin in the story and we never settle down with one character long enough for one aspect of novel to really stand out. The novel feels rushed and just as we get all of the characters on the same page it just ends.
booksthatburn's review against another edition
I stopped when the carbon copy of Lafayette from True Blood showed up. I already wasn’t enjoying the “transcript of a youtube video” style.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Racism, and Death of parent